Shouting vendors, piles of clothes on carts and hanging outside storefronts, toys strewn on sidewalks, fabrics of all colors and textures, narrow streets, swarms of people and the sound of haggling customers – this is Wekalet El-Balah
Steps away from the banks of the Nile near the World Trade Center, Wekalet El-Balah – or El-Wekala as it is simply called – is where people from the middle class go shopping for clothes of average quality at cheap prices, and sometimes second-hand clothes imported from Europe and Turkey.
Our merchandise comes mainly from China and Turkey. Occasionally we sell Egyptian made clothes, said Fathi Rizk, a shop owner at El-Wekala. Rizk said that Chinese goods became popular lately when they began importing them in 2004.
The market is nestled between the more popular neighborhood of Boulak and the more upscale Zamalek area. While not everyone shops in El-Wekala for clothes, this is where people from all walks of life go looking for great bargains on a wide variety of quality fabrics for dresses, shirts, suits, draperies, comforters or the living room couch.
You can also find women’s accessories, belts, sunglasses, leather products and bathroom/kitchen paraphernalia.
Because it’s out of the way for some and too chaotic for others, it’s considered one of Cairo’s more adventurous shopping experiences.
The name Wekalet El-Balah – literally the date market – originates from the time when traders from Upper Egypt (especially Aswan) would come through the Nile to Cairo, carrying their supply of dates in small boats. This trade is now confined to the wholesale market.
The market was established in the 19th century when trade activity was limited to linens. Later, after World War II, it became a center for trading in junk left behind by the English army.
After the establishment of a free market in Port Said in the 70s, some merchants started bringing these goods to El-Wekala so Cairenes wouldn’t have to travel far to shop. These merchants now own shops that were once controlled by the Ministry of Religious Endowments.
At one point, the Ministry of Tourism tried to relocate the market in order to modernize the prime lot of land, but was met with extreme resistance from both merchants and customers.
Maneuvering through the narrow streets lined with hundreds of small shops, you would hardly be able to tell that El-Wekala spans an area of 120 acres. Goods are on display wherever you look – up, down, left right – on large tables, on the sidewalk, or hanging from tree limbs.
Vendors employ a variety of strategies to promote their products: smiling, inviting you in, asking what you’re looking for, thrusting the product in front of your face, yelling to get your attention and, in rare instances, physically dragging you into their shop.
There are three levels of goods in El-Wekala: what merchants call “el-kremat, quality merchandise at relatively high prices; and then there are first- and second-class goods, which are cheap and popular among the regular clients.
Even though a shirt or jeans can sell for LE 15 to LE 20, or a leather handbag for LE 40, you should always haggle with vendors. Savvy shoppers can slash the price of some fabrics by half, and in turn, vendors resort to naming a price that’s three more than what the products cost. It’s a vicious cycle, but that’s the nature of the market.
